Latest news with #sexualpredator
BBC News
10 hours ago
- BBC News
Teacher Simon Clark who posed as teen to groom girls is jailed
A 46-year-old teacher who posed as a teenager online to ask girls for indecent images of themselves has been jailed for eight Clark, from Ellesmore Port, Cheshire, was a teacher in Flintshire when he pretended to be a 14-year-old boy and sent messages to 26 girls aged between 10 and previously admitted 29 offences including inciting children under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and 21 counts of sexual communication with a child and making indecent images of children - 26 of which were in the most serious offences came to light in January 2023, when a mother saw explicit messages from the father-of-two on her 12-year-old daughter's laptop. Chester Crown Court heard the messages included requests for pictures of the girl's body, which the mother reported to North Wales account was in the name of Jamie_jones6968 who claimed to be a schoolboy in England, but the IP address of the account which sent the messages was traced to Clark. The court heard the case was then passed to detectives from the Online Child Abuse Investigation Team at Cheshire were seized from Clark's home where police found hundreds of messages to dozens of girls - many under the age of had sent indecent videos to some girls and asked for them to send some back to Police praised the complainants for their bravery and described Clark as a sexual predator who despite being in a position of trust, continued his crimes to "satisfy his own warped sexual desires".Sentencing him to eight years, Judge Simon Berkson said his crimes were "a parent's worst nightmare" and showed "clear grooming of young girls".He said it was "well planned, sophisticated, criminal behaviour". As a result he said Clark had "lost everything" including his job, marriage and unsupervised access to his own young will face an extended four years on licence at the end of his NSPCC spokesperson said: "As a teacher Clark had a duty to keep children safe."Instead for seven years he posed as a teenage boy on a social media platform, using his fake profile to target and groom young girls before persuading them to send naked images of themselves."This kind of sexual abuse can have a devasting impact on the victims and it is vital all the children involved in this case have access to the support they need to move forwards with their lives."This case also highlights the need for social media sites to be doing much more to protect children and prevent offenders like Clark from using their platforms to carry out their crimes."
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Pervert Mohammed Al Fayed 'spent DECADES spying on women shoppers undressing in Harrods changing rooms': New book warns customers - 'if you stripped off, there's a good chance he was watching'
Sexual predator Mohamed Al Fayed spied on customers using the changing rooms at Harrods for decades, according to claims made by his former bodyguard. Speaking in an explosive new book, the security man said there was a 'good chance' that shoppers using the facilities at the Knightsbridge store during his reign were being 'watched' by the serial rapist.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE 'If you were in a changing room in Harrods, there was a good chance Mohamed Al Fayed was watching': Explosive new book claims store was awash with spy cameras - even in women's staff toilets and locker rooms
Sexual predator Mohamed Al Fayed spied on customers using the changing rooms at Harrods for decades, according to claims made by his former bodyguard. Speaking in an explosive new book, the security man said there was a 'good chance' that shoppers using the facilities at the Knightsbridge store during his reign were being 'watched' by the serial rapist. In the Monster of Harrods due to be released on Thursday, the bodyguard known only as Biggie said the store was awash with cameras which also recorded inside the female staff toilets and locker rooms. 'People don't talk about this - there were cameras right up to the entrance and slightly inside the changing rooms used by Harrods customers, which meant if you were in a Harrods changing room during the Fayed era, there was a good chance that he was watching you,' Biggie revealed. The installation of cameras, as well as bugging telephones, was said to have been ordered by the head of security ex-detective John Macnamara so Al Fayed could keep tabs on and seek out potential victims. 'The guys looked at the screens as if their lives depended on it. But they also realised that many of the questions Macnamara asked were about females who had caught Fayed's eye, so there was also a lot of sniggering as they watched women in changing rooms and toilets,' said Biggie. Biggie, who was described as 6ft 4in and 20st, was employed as one of the very first 'generals' in Al Fayed's security detail after he purchased the iconic store in 1985. Harrods, which was owned by Al Fayed for 25 years before he sold it in 2010, said last night: 'Nothing in our records suggest cameras existed in any staff or customer areas where personal privacy would have been compromised.' Alison Kervin, author of the book who interviewed 60 witnesses, survivors and former employees, claimed that around forty screens transmitted information from every inch of the store 24/7. She said the cameras were 'everywhere' and meant that 'working at Harrods was like living in the Truman Show'. Another member of staff, known as 'the Engineer' because of his role in phone bugging, said there were 'recording devices everywhere' and everything that was transmitted was filed away. 'I'd have to make sure they were working and we were picking up everything was important that we did the recordings and kept everything properly filed,' he is quoted as saying. He said Al Fayed would sometimes demand to see a particular recording or listen in to what was said in a meeting room. The man said that no one was 'off limits' and that he bugged everyone from financial directors and board members to chauffeurs and body guards. Al Fayed, who died without facing justice aged 94 in 2023, was exposed as a prolific sex offender last year and more than 500 victims and witnesses have since come forward. Emma Jones, a human rights lawyer for Leigh Day which represents a number of the victims, said the latest revelations highlighted the need for a public inquiry into how his offending was allowed to continue undeterred for decades. 'The fact that there could be covert surveillance, CCTV or any kind of recording in areas such as toilets and changing rooms beggars' belief and is truly shocking. 'If true this would have serious and far-reaching ramifications in terms of breaching people's right to privacy,' she added. Last week survivors handed a letter to Downing Street calling for an inquiry to examine claims of a cover up and allegations that the serial rapist was enabled by the iconic store and the police. Scotland Yard previously revealed that it is investigating the role of at least five potential enablers who are alleged to have aided Al Fayed. Harrods, which was sold to wealth fund Qatar Holdings, has previously said it is 'appalled' by allegations of sexual abuse by Al Fayed and have been investigating whether any current members of staff were involved. The Monster of Harrods: Al-Fayed and the secret, shameful history of a British institution published by HarperCollins goes sale on Thursday here.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
'Sexual predator', 68, posed as taxi driver to target 'intoxicated women', taking latex gloves, condoms and Viagra with him, court told
A sexual predator posed as an 'unofficial Uber ' to pick up 'vulnerable and intoxicated' women, a court heard. Graham Head, 68, had latex gloves, condoms, Viagra tablets and a balaclava in his silver Mercedes estate when he was arrested. In his home, business cards advertising him as a 'N-Uber driver' were emblazoned with the slogan 'Safe and Reliable - For All Occasions' underneath one of his phone numbers. Head, of Pevensey, East Sussex, is accused of kidnapping, attempted rape, and sexual assault of a 25-year old woman, along with assault by penetration and sexual assault of a 19-year-old woman - all of which he denies. He claims that he offered the 25-year-old a lift home but did not touch her and never met his other alleged victim. On Monday on the first day of his trial, jurors at Lewes Crown Court were told Head was a 'sexual predator' who 'slipped up' the night he was arrested by police. Opening the case, Paul Jarvis KC said: 'The defendant is a sexual predator. Basing himself in Pevensey and ostensibly working as an unofficial Uber driver or taxi driver. 'He was also looking for vulnerable young women who he could sexually abuse. 'He carried Viagra and condoms with him, either on his person or in his car, as well as latex gloves. He would use the latex gloves to minimise the risk of leaving traces of his DNA on his victims.' Head had two mobile phones and was 'savvy enough' to know that if he kept them on while he was driving, the network provider could record his movements so kept them in flight mode while he was searching for victims, the court heard. The two attacks are said to have taken place in the early hours of August 19 2022 in Hove Park and November 18 2022 outside the alleged victim's home. Mr Jarvis said the first victim, who was 19 years was 'intoxicated and vulnerable' when she was sexually assaulted by the defendant in Hove Park.' He said the second victim, aged 25, was also vulnerable and intoxicated in the early hours of the morning when Head kidnapped her and sexually assaulted her in his car and then drove off leaving her distressed on the roadside. On both occasions the defendant was driving his grey Mercedes estate motor vehicle with the registration number L21 GRH, the prosecutor said. The 25-year-old was able to remember the 'L21' portion of Head's number plate which led to police pulling his car over and arresting him the same night, jurors were told. Mr Jarvis said: 'He slipped up on November 19 2022 in two respects. 'First because his victim was alert enough to be able to memorise part of the licence plate for the police to be able to identify his car when they saw it. The 25-year-old had been on a night out and had consumed alcohol and cocaine, the court heard. She said a man pulled up alongside her and told her he was an Uber driver who had just finished his shift but would give her a free ride home. Journeys from Middle Street, in Brighton, where the victim left Monarch Bar, to the victim's home address were found after analysis of the satnav in Head's Mercedes. Mr Jarvis said: 'He saw (the victim) in the early hours of the morning on November 18 2022, he realised that she was vulnerable and intoxicated. 'He offered to give her a life home but his real plan was to drive around until he was satisfied she was fast asleep so he could sexually assault and rape her. 'He drove close to her home address and tried to rape her in the back seat of his car but she came to and kicked him away.' The 25-year-old has since died and will not give evidence in this trial. The trial continues.
BBC News
30-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Man who sexually abused vulnerable women jailed
A "sexual predator" who abused five vulnerable women over a 12-year period has been Wilkinson, 53, of Drake Gardens in Tavistock, Devon, was found guilty of 21 separate offences against the women and was sentenced to 30 years in prison and five years on licence during a hearing at Plymouth Crown was charged with multiple counts of rape, serious sexual assault, physical assault and strangulation on five women, four of whom were described as "especially vulnerable", between 2012 and Robert Linford said Wilkinson's offences, which were carried out in the Tavistock area, "dredged the depths of depravity". The judge added: "You were a sexual predator who selected and abused women."Wilkinson must also sign the Sex Offenders' Register for life. 'Vulnerable, frightened and exhausted' Devon and Cornwall Police said Wilkinson was arrested in October 2023 following a report he had sexually abused a woman on numerous force said after extensive investigative work, officers identified four more of Wilkinson's court heard victim impact statements from some of the women Wilkinson abused, with one saying she never wanted to see his face said: "He hurt me, he frightened me and he forced me to do things I did not want to do."Another said she suffered repeated nightmares and flashbacks of her abuser and said she felt "vulnerable, frightened and exhausted".In mitigation, the court heard Wilkinson had an intellectual disability which results in him living a "basic" sentencing, Judge Linford said Wilkinson knew right from wrong despite his disability."It does not need me to say that these offences dredge the depths of depravity," the judge said. Speaking after the hearing, investigating officer DC Craig Ferguson paid tribute to the victims, recognising the bravery they had shown during the "lengthy, complex and difficult" said: "The offences in this case were harrowing with vulnerable people being targeted and abused in their homes where they should have been able to feel safe and secure."He added that the offending had been "some of the worst and most disturbing" he had dealt with in his 21-year police career.
